‘Thrill and chill’ generation of young families is driving growth in cruising

The average adult age of a Royal Caribbean new-to-cruise family guest is just 42 years old – more than 13 years younger that the industry average.

‘New research reveals the impact on industry growth by attracting a younger generation of new-to-cruise families, and while the average age of British cruisers has fallen to a six-year low of 55, Royal Caribbean is considerably lower.

The excitement of activities such as Royal Caribbean’s Flowrider is attracting young families to cruising

This will be due, in part, to the range of activities on board its new breed of ships aimed at exciting young families.  

The rapidly growing UK cruise industry is set to see a record-breaking two million passengers this year,  with more than one in ten holidaymakers planning a cruise in the next 12 months.

Royal Caribbean believes it is the “Generation Thrill and Chill” families who are leading this growth, with families now representing one in four Royal Caribbean guests. And it is predicted that Royal Caribbean passenger numbers will grow by a further 63 per cent over the next five years.

Ben Bouldin, managing director for Royal Caribbean International, told the annual ABTA Travel Conference in The Azores: “There appears to be three main triggers for why younger, new-to-cruise families are booking cruise holidays with us: the ability to visit multiple destinations while also being able to relax and chill and experience fun and adventure along the way. We call them ‘Generation Thrill-and-Chill’ and they now make up a quarter of all our guests in the UK.

“Interestingly we also see they have a strong propensity to re-book with us – 10 per cent return within a year, 17 per cent within two years and 21 per cent in three years. We believe that’s because our ships offer an onboard experience unlike any other, from zip-wires and sky-diving to world-class dining and health and wellbeing facilities.

“When matched with the promise of seeing multiple cultures and destinations, it’s an extraordinary experience that we believe no other holiday company can boast.”

Latest Royal Caribbean figures also showed that in 2016 group bookings made up of friends and family accounted for 20 per cent of all passengers onboard and almost a third of those were new-to-cruise.